Blog | OSX | mechdrew

When I moved two weeks ago, I didn’t anticipate how busy I would be afterward. With a rigorous school schedule and early-morning work duties, my free time has been occupied with homework and inadequate sleep. I’ve maybe spent a total of ten minutes on MyDellMini during that time.

As such, my inbox has steadily filled, and the comments here have gone unanswered. I’m really sorry about that, but I have finally caught up on a few things so I should be able to complete them by the end of the week.

On a final note, I have seen a few message subjects about the NBI 2 guide. I’ll answer them still, but really everyone should be trying all three methods for Windows, not just one. There are three posted because no single method works for everyone.

It had better work for everyone this time.

dylar at MyDellMini pointed me to Image Writer, which is way better than the dd command that I’ve been using in the guide forever. Plus, it shortened down the instructions quite a bit. Since the whole Windows section has changed, you’ll want to reread it through if you were having trouble before. And as always, leave a comment or send a message about how it worked.

Title says it all. Turns out that the previous version’s instructions (which were deleted in the last update) weren’t completely inaccurate, they just needed some additions! I can verify that the files DO work, so there is nothing wrong with the guide itself. I still need to investigate the Linux side, but everything else should be just fine.

Please make sure to follow every warning and detail, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not attempt to contact me if you are using a dowloaded/torrented/pirated/illegitimate version of Mac OS X, it wastes time for both of us and I will eventually find out since they don’t work with my guides.

At long last, I’m done updating the main guides. This is the quickest I have been able to update all of the guides, but that’s because I spent most of my time this evening focused solely on completing them.

The big update for the NBI 2 is a flat image based on NetbookInstaller 0.8.3 Final. I’ve also changed the Windows instructions so that all three major versions (XP, Vista, 7) use the same instructions. I found a bunch of errors throughout as well during the process. I had to remove the Windows screenshots because they were horribly inaccurate with the new instructions, I will try to upload new ones in the next few days.

So that should be it, besides adapting the updates for the MyDellMini Guides section.

Big news folks: NetbookInstaller 2 has been written and uploaded! This guide allows those who do not have a Mac running Leopard or Snow Leopard to install Mac OS X via USB disk drives. This includes steps for Windows, Linux, and Tiger! After weighing all the options I finally found a solution for Windows that didn’t require a bunch of bloated software, and it also makes the techniques similar for all three operating systems.

I’ve also made a few adjustments to the NetbookInstaller 1 guide, and guide 3 has been updated to reflect the newer NetbookCD 0.8.3 RC3 ISO that has just been uploaded. Go check it out, have fun, and of course leave your comments or e-mails about your experience with these new updates.

I need some help. I have used Linux before, but not on a regular basis. I need to know which distributions have the dd console command is installed by default and, if there are any without the command, how to install it. This is important because I am in the middle of writing the NetbookInstaller 2 guide (my biggest yet!) which focuses on using Windows or Linux to prepare the Mac OS Installer. Just leave a comment or use the Conatct page. Thanks a lot!

After a few people have requested information on when some of the guide will be updated, here is the current priority list for what I am working on. It is subject to change, but this is the general idea:

1. Windows-only install guide for Mac-noobs who don’t have a Mac available to run the typical installation method.
2. External DVD drive update, as soon as I get full confirmation that the boot CD works.
3. Multi-boot guide with special emphasis on the RTM (gold master) version of Windows 7.
4. Snow Leopard. ‘Nuff said.
5. Mac OS X Installer customization methods. Details on how to add your own information, including a custom Welcome screen.
6. Revised troubleshooting tips.
7. Software recommendations and notes for installation.
8. Hardware upgrades, Mac-compatible.

I also need to update the Contact page, I had tried before but for some reason it won’t load. Don’t worry, the current Contact page is fully functional.

On a related note, I am trying to complete as many of these objectives as possible before Wednesday, September 9th. This is because from that day until the end of the month I will have limited Internet access, maybe only once or twice a week. This will make it difficult to keep up with answering questions related to these methods of installation since the instructions aren’t posted. Just giving everyone a advance warning.

I am so excited right now, you don’t even know. Ever since February I have been working on a fully-functional guide for installing Mac OS X for users who only have access to a Windows PC. I had made a significant advance back in March when I discovered TransMac, which could read the Mac OS X DVD and transfer an image to a USB drive. Problem was, this required a large storage device, considering that an extra 500 MB was tacked on thanks to Apple’s Boot Camp partition on the DVD also being read for no good reason. So a lot of people have had issues with this…

Well today I just managed to find a technique to trim off that extra Boot Camp junk so that Windows users can use any 8GB flash drive! I had to use an additional piece of software, HFS Explorer, along with TransMac. It isn’t obvious at all how to accomplish this, but if you are like me you will probably smack your head when you see how easy it actually is. Look for the guide this coming week!

Oh, and sorry if I haven’t replied to e-mails. I’ll catch up tonight.

Update: The ISO is not working for anyone, I need to fix it somehow. Luckily I now have an external CD drive (not DVD) so I can at least test the ISO before I post another version. Better luck next time, eh?

Original Post:

I posted this at MyDellMini yesterday, but I could use all the help I can get. I have attempted to create a new boot CD for those who install Mac OS X from an external DVD drive, the only problem is that I don’t have an external drive to test it with! This would be helpful also to the Windows folks once I get all the kinks worked out. Please let me know how it goes! Link: http://osx.mechdrew.com/downloads/testnbbmcd.iso